CHILLED PEA, AVOCADO & MINT SOUP WITH HERBED MELBA TOAST

Recipes and food styling Emma Galloway / Photography Lottie Hedley

	3¼ cups frozen peas
	2½ cups chilled vegetable stock
	1 large ripe avocado
	⅓ cup coconut milk, plus extra to serve (optional)
	2 cloves garlic
	½ cup packed mint leaves, plus extra to serve (optional)
	2 tablespoons lemon juice
	HERBED MELBA TOAST
	6 slices white bread (for gluten-free, see note), crusts removed
	1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
	1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
	2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leafed parsley

1.	To make the soup, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
2.	Season well with sea salt.
3.	Transfer to a large thermos or a couple of large glass jars and chill until needed.
4.	Heat the oven to 170°C.
5.	Use a rolling pin to roll each slice of bread as thin as you can get it.
6.	Combine the olive oil, garlic and chopped parsley and brush the top of each slice of bread.
7.	Cut in half diagonally to form a triangle, then transfer to an oven tray.
8.	Season the tops with a little salt and pepper.
9.	Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden and crisp, turning the tray around halfway through to ensure even cooking.
10.	Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
11.	These will store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
12.	To serve, pour soup into serving cups, drizzle a little extra coconut milk on the top and scatter with mint leaves.
13.	Serve with herbed Melba toast to dip.
14.	NOTE I’ve trialled making Melba toast with gluten-free bread but with very limited success; once rolled the bread becomes tooth-breakingly hard. So, if like me you need to eat gluten-free, just omit the rolling-out step and you’ll end up with slightly thicker, but totally delicious Melba toasts.